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Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Get PDFBill & Melinda Gates FoundationpublishedVersio
Plausible Mechanism of Sham Acupuncture Based on Biomarkers: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Get PDFIntroduction: Sham acupuncture was developed to be used as an inert control intervention in clinical trials of acupuncture. However, controversies exist regarding the validity of sham acupuncture. In this systematic review (SR) of acupuncture trials, we assessed whether serum biomarkers showed significant differences after sham and verum acupuncture treatments.
Methods: Any acupuncture clinical trials that evaluated serum biomarker changes between sham acupuncture and verum acupuncture were included in this review. Relevant literature was searched in the PubMed database, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) database from inception until June 2021. The Cochrane risk of bias was assessed. Summary effect estimates for each biomarker between groups were calculated with a random effect model.
Results: From 51 sham acupuncture trials, we found that there were no significant differences in most of the 36 serum biomarkers after sham acupuncture and verum acupuncture needling. Only VEGF, IG-E, TNF-a, NGF, GABA, NPY, and VIP serum levels were identified as being different between the groups. The overall risk of bias of the included studies and the limited numbers of studies for meta-analysis do not strongly support the results of this SR.
Conclusion: Sham acupuncture techniques might have similar effects on biomarkers as the so-called “real acupuncture” techniques, which indicates that sham acupuncture, as an inert intervention similar to a placebo drug, needs to be reconsidered.
Systematic Review PROSPERO Registration: identifier [CRD42021260889].publishedVersio
The role of accelerators in shaping entrepreneurial identity
Get PDFThis study explores how a Norwegian accelerator influenced the entrepreneurial identity of those accellerated.The importance of entrepreneurial identity, or how entrepreneurs see themselves and their business ventures, is highlighted in effectuation theory as one of the means that drives entrepreneurial action and is seen as important for entrepreneurs’perceived opportunity space. The study is an explorative single-case study of a Norwegian accelerator targeting new ventures. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with seven entrepreneurs who had recently participated in the accelerator. The findings indicate that the accelerator had an impact on entrepreneurial identity, both at the individual and team levels and on start-up identity. Participation in the program also influenced related factors, such as business model development and customer- and capital access. The impact on identity varied according to how the entrepreneurs saw themselves pre-participation and how far they had come in developing their firms’ business concepts. The study contributes to the literature on the effects om accelerators in general, and its role in fostering entrepreneurial identity at different levels in particular.publishedVersio
Training und Coaching von weiblichen vs. männlichen Athleten auf ihrem Weg zu Gold? Einschätzungen erfolgreicher Trainer von Eliteathleten
Get PDFThis scientific short report investigated how successful male coaches perceive gender differences in training characteristics and coaching practice among medal-winning endurance athletes.
Ten male Norwegian coaches with a track record of coaching both female and male endurance world-class athletes (total of 269 Olympic, World and European Championship medals) participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that all coaches mainly adjusted their key training and coaching principles to the individual athlete, rather than gender. A coach-driven and athlete-centered individualization process was essential to create trust, mutual understanding, and optimal training content. Potential gender/sex differences were perceived in four main themes: sport-specific competition demands, physiological, psychological and interpersonal factors (e.g., gender of the coach).
In this context, all coaches described how training and coaching of female athletes differs from that of men, thus considering male athletes as the reference group and male physiology and psychology as the norm. Furthermore, societal factors such as a male-dominant sports culture and underlying gender stereotypes were suggested as amplifiers of gender differences.
Accordingly, our report highlights the need for female perspectives in elite sports and invites further in-depth investigations of the identified gender/sex differences within the respective disciplines of training science, physiology, psychology and sociology.publishedVersio
Unpacking pre-service teachers’ beliefs and reasoning about student ability, sources of teaching knowledge, and teacher-efficacy: A scenario-based approach
Get PDFThe beliefs teachers hold may provide information about their more or less evidence-informed reasoning about educational issues. However, gaining a clear picture of teachers’ beliefs has proven difficult. A promising line of inquiry uses scenario-based approaches to assess teachers’ enacted beliefs. Accordingly, we assessed 75 Norwegian pre-service teachers’ beliefs about student ability, sources of teaching knowledge, and teacher efficacy by analyzing their written responses to authentic classroom scenarios, with these responses also providing information about participants’ reasoning about the scenarios. While participants’ responses seemed to be evidence-informed in many ways, there were also indications of the opposite, such as limited consideration of educational research in pedagogical decision-making. The results contribute uniquely to an understanding of pre-service teachers’ beliefs and reasoning about educational issues. As such, they may help researchers and teacher educators to better understand the beliefs pre-service teachers hold, as well as to facilitate further development of these beliefs. Implications for future research and teacher education are discussed.publishedVersio
Increase in peak oxygen uptake and Andersen test performance in children from age six to ten: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)
Get PDFThe increased prevalence of non-communicable disease risk factors among children because of lack of physical activity is concerning. The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project was set up to combine learning activities and physical activity, thus reducing sedentariness during school time. The current study aimed to measure and describe the longitudinal and cross-sectional development of oxygen uptake and running performance in children at ages six and ten. The validity of the Andersen Test in predicting V̇O2peak in these age groups was also evaluated. Eighty-six children (53 boys, 33 girls) with complete datasets at ages 6 and 10 years were included in the longitudinal study, while 192 children (106 boys, 86 girls) were included in the cross-sectional analysis because they missed data from 1 year. Oxygen uptake was measured using a metabolic analyser and maximal treadmill running, while the distance covered during the AT determined running performance. Body mass, height, and waist-to-height ratios were recorded. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the association between oxygen uptake and running performance. The cross-sectional results did not differ from the longitudinal data for anthropometrical data, oxygen uptake and running performance. Height, body mass and waist-to-height ratio did not differ between the sexes at ages six or ten. Boys had significantly higher peak oxygen uptake than girls at 6 years of age, irrespective of how oxygen uptake was expressed. Allometric scaling of oxygen uptake revealed differences between sexes at both ages. Longitudinal running performance increased in both sexes from 6 to 10 years. Boys ran significantly longer only at age ten. The association between oxygen uptake and running performance varied according to how the oxygen uptake was expressed and with sex and age. Ten-year-old girls had the highest correlations in the longitudinal investigation, from r 2 = 0.48 (fV̇O2peak) to 0.65 (rV̇O2peak) between AT and V̇O2peak. The AT was found to be as valid as the 20-m shuttle run test in estimating peak oxygen uptake, with a random measurement error of approximately 11% of mean values.publishedVersio
The Burden of Next-of-Kin Carers of Dementia Sufferers in the Home Environment
Get PDFThe role and responsibilities of next-of-kin carers are significant, filling several years of their lives and causing them to experience a burden of care. This study was conducted to investigate the burden of next-of-kin carers for dementia sufferers in Slovakia. Data were compiled via the Relatives’ Stress Scale (RSS) screening instrument through a survey of 112 primary next-of-kin carers and analysed using the statistical tests of descriptive statistics, means, scores and significance differences (Wilcoxon test). This is one of the few scales which provides: (a) specific measures of caregiver stress, and (b) is standardised for a population of informal carers in the home environment. The profiles of Slovak next-of-kin carers were identified with statistically significant characteristics (gender, age of carers). The study identified a high level of caregiving stress (82.15%), and selected factors were found to be significant in all burden dimensions: emotional stress (p = 0.001), social stress (p = 0.003), and negative feelings (p = 0.002). The results emphasise the need for coordination of healthcare and social services, possibly by expanding the network of social support groups, operating a counselling hotline/chat, and introducing national educational programmes for the next-of-kin carers of dementia sufferers. The results are also a source of reference for the umbrella organisation ‘the Slovak Alzheimer’s Society’ to access when implementing changes at a national level.publishedVersio
Investigation of Cross-Reactivity of Anti-Ephrin-B2 Antibody to Other Ephrin-B Members in an Immunohistochemical Study in a Cohort of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Get PDFEphrin-B1,-B2 and -B3 proteins share a high degree of sequence similarity. Investigation of these proteins as putative prognostic markers in human cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been limited by challenges in generating specific antibodies against them. The current study examined the reactivity of a polyclonal anti-human ephrin-B2 antibody (HPA008999) against ephrin-B proteins and investigated the prognostic significance of immunoreactivity of the same antibody at different intra-tumor sites in OSCC specimens. By amino acid sequence comparison, immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis on cell lysates and precipitates from HEK-293T cells transfected with EFNB1, EFNB2, or EFNB3 expression constructs, we demonstrated that HPA008999 reacted to all ephrin-B proteins. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with the HPA008999 antibody in a cohort (n = 131) of OSCC, we showed high immunoreactivity at the tumor center, but not at the tumor invading front, was significantly associated with worse 5-year overall survival probabilities. In conclusion, the HPA008999 antibody reacted to all ephrin-B proteins and the immunoreactivity at the tumor center might be useful as a prognostic marker in OSCC. These data underscore the need for the investigation of antibodies for cross-reactivity to similar protein members for obtaining reliable and meaningful results in IHC based biomarker studies.publishedVersio
Blood Pressure Response and Pulse Arrival Time During Exercise Testing in Well-Trained Individuals
Get PDFIntroduction: There is a lack of data describing the blood pressure response (BPR) in well-trained individuals. In addition, continuous bio-signal measurements are increasingly investigated to overcome the limitations of intermittent cuff-based BP measurements during exercise testing. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the BPR in well-trained individuals during a cycle ergometer test with a particular focus on the systolic BP (SBP) and to investigate pulse arrival time (PAT) as a continuous surrogate for SBP during exercise testing.
Materials and Methods: Eighteen well-trained male cyclists were included (32.4 ± 9.4 years; maximal oxygen uptake 63 ± 10 ml/min/kg) and performed a stepwise lactate threshold test with 5-minute stages, followed by a continuous test to voluntary exhaustion with 1-min increments when cycling on an ergometer. BP was measured with a standard automated exercise BP cuff. PAT was measured continuously with a noninvasive physiological measurements device (IsenseU) and metabolic consumption was measured continuously during both tests.
Results: At lactate threshold (281 ± 56 W) and maximal intensity test (403 ± 61 W), SBP increased from resting values of 136 ± 9 mmHg to maximal values of 219 ± 21 mmHg and 231 ± 18 mmHg, respectively. Linear within-participant regression lines between PAT and SBP showed a mean r 2 of 0.81 ± 17.
Conclusion: In the present study focusing on the BPR in well-trained individuals, we observed a more exaggerated systolic BPR than in comparable recent studies. Future research should follow up on these findings to clarify the clinical implications of the high BPR in well-trained individuals. In addition, PAT showed strong intra-individual associations, indicating potential use as a surrogate SBP measurement during exercise testing.publishedVersio
Organizational and Occupational Innovation when Implementing a Covid-19 Live Tracker in VG Newsroom
Get PDFAcademic research on whether and how innovation during crises results in durable changes in practice remains scant. The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it new opportunities to look at both innovation and transformations in news work during coverage of the breaking news or monster stories related to it. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews at three different times during the pandemic lock down year of 2021, we engaged with a core group (or “heavyweight team”) of editorial managers, digital managers, and an editor-in-chief to generate unique data on this topic. For this inquiry, we enjoyed unique access to the Schibsted-owned VG newsroom in Norway, which was already known for its innovative means of handling disruptive changes and improving practices and routines. Our findings related to VG's Covid-19 Live Tracker initiative in particular suggest that occupational and organizational discourses of professionalism work together to produce altered roles and tasks, empowered interdepartmental teams, and ultimately the trust of both the audience and the authorities.publishedVersio